Who Knew
by blinnn
Summary: Her whole existence was meaningless; especially without the ones that used to mean everything to her. "Don't worry sweetie. Soon all of your troubles will be over… and Casey McDonald will cease to be."
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Well HELLO THERE. I haven't seen you in a while! I know, this should be an update for "The Queen Cities" but I am an idiot and this has all I've been able to write. Well, when I say 'this' i mean... this STORY, because I've written A LOT more of it. haha. So, get ready for some more of this. haha. This is the first time I've even written any sort of suspense, and I know I'm super horrible at it, but just bare with me! :) Thanks! BTDUBS: My birthday is in two days! :D

Summary: She had to face the facts; and they just screamed at her that her whole existence was meaningless; especially without the ones that used to mean everything to her. "Don't worry sweetie. Soon all of your troubles will be over… and Casey McDonald will cease to be."

Rated M for Violence and Language.

(Although the language hasn't come up yet...)

PS: The inspiration for the title IS the song by Pink - Who Knew.

_If someone said three years from now, you'd be long gone..._

* * *

**Who Knew**

_A Life with Derek Fanfiction_

Her ears were pounding as they searched through the silence for any type of sound. All she could hear was the sound of her breathing which had evened out now that she had been conscious for hours. How many hours? She didn't know. She couldn't see anything and she was afraid to move at all because she could tell there was something off about where she was placed.

When she had first opened her eyes to the darkness and her breathing was ragged, she had heard an echo; and she was positive it was coming from below her.

Her nerves had calmed down and although she was still confused, she had realized it would be best to just wait it out. She would find out what was going on soon enough.

She felt the 'ground' beneath her start to shake and she couldn't help but gasp quietly as she tried to hear anything else. She heard a rattling noise and footsteps of someone coming closer and close and closer and she really wished he'd hurry up already.

She saw a very faint glow of a tiny pen-light and she could finally see the man standing right in front of her. She couldn't see him, per se but she saw his face quickly before he shined the light in her eyes. She squinted to shield herself from the drastic change in front of her face.

"You must be Casey." The man spoke in an ominous tone and it made her heart jump to her throat.

She nodded and he continued, "I see… pity that such a fine, young woman such as yourself, has met such an ugly, sickening fate."

Casey froze at the man's words and she would have started crying on the spot if this had happened any other day.

You see, any other day she would have kicked the guy in the crotch, grabbed his crap excuse for a light, and made for an exit. Any other day she would have fought for her life because any other day she would have felt like her life was worth living.

But today, she didn't care. She didn't feel the need to live, not to mention the _desire_. She was positive her life could end right then and she wouldn't be missed.

Who would miss a pitiful excuse for a human such as herself. The world didn't need her kind of _destruction_. Social norms are put in place for a reason and God forbid you try to bend one of them because you're in love. Not that it mattered, because the love was unrequited.

She had no one. No family, no friends… nothing to keep her from throwing everything away. She'd worked so _hard_ for so _long_ yet she had gained so _little_ from it all. Sure, she had a career; one in the public's eye, even. But even though her demise would be broadcast in the papers, she had no doubt that her fans would eventually just forget and move on.

She was a disgrace, and everyone around her seemed to feel that way about her too. So why not just end it? Not that she even had the choice anymore, it seemed. She had to face the facts; and they just screamed at her that her whole existence was meaningless; especially without the people that used to mean everything to her.

"Come with me." The man held out his hand and she took it willingly. The man led her through the room that she realized now to be very cavernous, as their footsteps echoed around them. It was all very fire-escape-esque. When they reached the end of the narrow strip of metal, the man opened the door with a key that had been hanging on his belt loop.

The door opened to reveal a room resembling a low quality hotel lobby. There were two chairs against the far wall, both extremely different from one another. It was horribly lit, via yellow-tinted florescent ceiling lights that were flooded with moths; some that had been trapped there for far too long.

The man pulled Casey by the wrist through the yellow room and led them to the doorway on the right hand side of the room, which revealed a hallway. The lighting was far brighter and it made Casey's eyes sting and her head pound as they walked through the corridor. The walls were plain white, which only made the intensity of the light worse. The only thing worth mentioning was the steel door at the end - without a window to tell what was next.

They were almost to the door when Casey heard a phone ring from the man's pocket.

"Talk to me." A pause as he listened to the caller, "Understood…" pause, "You'll wait until I tell you!" He yelled causing Casey to jump and her heart to race. He flipped his phone closed and placed it back in his pocket.

They continued their walk towards the door, which, as she got closer, reminded Casey of one of those hospital doors that you _really_ shouldn't go through. Despite herself, she started to tremble. Sometimes human nature takes over; even in the most depressive of times.

The man turned around and for the first time, she was able to get a full view of his face.

He had blue eyes, and his blonde hair was hidden mostly under the bottom of his tight fitting, knit cap. He was probably mid-thirties and there was an obvious scar on the outside of his left eye. She vaguely wondered where he'd gotten it but realized she would rather not know.

"Don't make a _single_ sound." The man ordered menacingly, a firm glare placed on his face.

Casey nodded and he took her by the wrist once more to lead them through the door. The darkness of the room ahead, swallowed them as he slammed the door after they entered.

"EY!" The man yelled into the unknown.

"Over here." A second voice came from the darkness. The blonde-haired man moved towards the voice, pulling Casey with him.

Casey could tell that the man was getting more rough as the trip went on and as they reached their destination, the man threw Casey away from him as a light was turned on behind her.

She was flung with a force and her back slammed into a metal table which made her let out a cry of pain. That's when the other man appeared, inches away from her face. She noticed he had brown eyes and looked to be of Italian decent.

"You told her no sounds, didn't you Rocky?" His eyes were wild and his smile was anything but sweet.

"Yes, Blue. I sure did." The man now identified as Rocky spoke from behind the metal table.

Blue snickered, still staring at Casey, and still way too close for comfort, "Oh, that will not do." He paused, glancing up at Rocky, "We don't tolerate unauthorized sounds. Do we, Rock?"

Casey gulped, all thoughts of her current state of depression missing from her mind. In a state of panic, one's body takes over and no matter how much you don't think your life is worth living, it will do _anything_ to stay alive.

"No we do not, Blue. In fact," He walked around the table and placed a hand on her shoulder, "We're _beyond_ intolerant. What do we do with insubordinates, Blue ol' buddy?" He leaned into her so that he was just as close as Blue.

He laughed, "We _kill_ for our rules to be followed, Rock." His eyes widened with excitement as he spoke.

Casey's lip quivered a bit, but she said nothing. She closed her eyes momentarily before she felt a hand smack her cheek.

"No!" Blue screamed; she could feel the blood rushing to the spot where he's slapped her, "No closing your eyes!"

Casey's eyes widened as Rocky grabbed her wrists which were behind her back, holding her balance on the ground. Blue grabbed her by the ankles and together they lifted her onto the metal table and proceeded to chain her appendages to the legs of the table.

It took all of her will power not to make any noise or whimpers as they tightened the hold until all she could feel was the tingling in her hands and feet.

Blue picked something up from a work bench and he and Rocky moved closer to Casey's head where they smiled at her.

Blue smoothed his hand over her hair, "Don't worry sweetie. Soon all of your troubles will be over." he spoke with a tone that she knew was only going to end in tragedy.

"… and Casey McDonald will cease to be." Rocky added.

"It's okay though. You won't be awake for the _really_ bad stuff…"

Casey couldn't hold back the tears but tried her hardest not to make a sound, hoping for _any_ leniency.

Rocky chuckled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a different cell phone that Casey recognized as her own.

He pressed a few buttons and set the phone down next to her.

"If you're gonna do any screaming, I suggest that you do it now." Rocky ordered and Casey felt Blue move closer to her.

Casey turned her head to look at the phone to get any inkling of what was happening. Her eyes widened and before she could even form a thought she felt a blow to her head from the side.

"Argh!" She screamed and the chains she was tied with rattled as she involuntarily flailed in pain. "Derek!" She cried out, tears streaming freely down her face.

The phone was too far away from her to hear any kind of response, if there was one.

Rocky reappeared with a syringe in hand and an evil smirk. Without even meaning to, Casey whimpered, "No! No! Get away from me!" She tried to kick him but to no avail; the chains were too short.

She let out a 'blood curdling' scream as Rocky injected the needle into her skin and pushed the plunger.

"Goodnight."

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**A/N: **Good? Bad? UGLY? haha Let me know! :D


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Sorry! This took longer than expected! Thank you all so much for your support and reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's a bit of a filler, but... it's still informative. LOL_

_Also, yes.. this is a lot shorter, but I have more written, it just made sense to cut it off here._

* * *

**Who Knew**

Chapter Two

_That uh... that rhymes. :P_

"I'm telling you dad, it wasn't a dream!"

"Derek, do you know how ridiculous you sound?" George scoffed, "You miss a call from…"

"Casey, Dad. You know, your step-daughter?"

George ignored his son, "…and there's a voicemail where all you here is grunting, clinking, and someone saying what you _think_ is 'goodnight'?" His skepticism was palpable.

"Yes! That is _exactly_ happened! I have the voicemail to prove it!" George sighed, "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but what if something… what if she's hurt?"

"Derek, I'm sure she is fine. What she does now is none of our business." George waved a dismissive hand at his son.

Derek gave him a once over, shaking his head as he went in search for Nora. The conversation with her was just as unsuccessful. Shocked at his family's insensitivity and blatant disregard for the hard evidence he had, Derek was about to leave his old house to return to his apartment when he was stopped by a voice from behind him.

"Derek?"

"Lizzie?" He turned around to look at his younger step-sister.

"I heard you talking to mom…" She stepped closer. Derek sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm worried." She continued; he could see the mist forming in her eyes.

"Me too, Liz." He paused, "I don't know what to do. I'm scared out of my mind that something happened to her but no one believes me or even _cares_. I mean I know they're still… bitter, but really? I can't believe they're being _this _cold when she could possibly be in trouble." He ranted.

Lizzie's eyes were puffy and she wiped at them silently, "Casey will always be my sister and I will always love her; I don't know how the rest of them could just ostracize her like they did. It's as if she never meant anything to them."

There was a silence between them as Derek remembered that Lizzie wasn't aware of the _one thing_ that had set the 'rents off. The only ones who knew were Derek, George, and Nora. The rest of the family was told that Casey was no longer allowed in their house or their lives, period.

Obviously there wasn't much holding Lizzie, Edwin or even Marti from talking to Casey via email or any sort of social networking websites, but the 'rents had made it clear that any contact with her would result in major consequences.

Derek knew that they had gone overboard; the kids were confused, and afraid. Never had their parents _scared_ them the way they had the night before. He was the only one left that, _knowing_ what he knew, _still _cared about Casey. What a turn of events, eh?

"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, Liz; don't worry. I just hope I'm not too late."

* * *

"Any I.D. on our Jane Doe?"

"Her injuries are too severe on her face to make any kind of identity claims. She also didn't have any possessions when she was found. We got a DNA sample but we haven't found any matches. Sorry Bruno, we're doing our best."

Bruno nodded, "Just keep checking the missing persons reports, something will come up."

"Yes, sir."

A third voice joined in, "Wait! Boss! Check this out." A younger gentleman handed his boss what looked to be a tabloid magazine.

"'Author Casey McDonald: Missing?' What is this?"

"Well if you read the article, an inside source says that they got a call from Casey two nights ago and that the only thing they head was screaming, clinking like that of some sort of chain, and what sounded like Casey screaming the source's name. Oh! At the end, they also heard a man's voice saying 'goodnight'. Then the next day they went to her apartment and she was nowhere to be found. The wounds on her ankles and wrists _do _show evidence that she had been _chained_." The young man explained nervously.

"You think this could be her?" Bruno asked.

"Same height, same weight, hair color, eye color. Plus this guy got a call from her the night before our guys found her… I think it's highly likely."

"Good thinking, Aaron. Was there a name to this 'inside source'. I have a feeling we're going to need him."

"Yes, um…" Aaron leafed through the pages to find it, "Derek Venturi." He answered proudly.

"Find his address for me, and do a background check. I'm going back to the hospital to check some things. Then I'll pay this Venturi guy a visit."

* * *

"How's she doing?"

"Better. She hasn't woken up yet, but her brain activity is escalating. Any leads on her identity?" The female physician asked, looking hopeful.

"Yes, actually. We think she may be a Young Adult Fiction author by the name Casey McDonald. We just received word that Casey has been missing for about two days now, and she has the same build, hair and eye color. We've also got the name of someone who was the last person in contact with her."

"Oh!" The doctors eyes lit up and she smiled, "Well then there is hope!" She winked at him.

Bruno laughed, "Yes, Allison… there is."

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_AN: Like I said, I know it's short but... gettt readddyy for some daseeyyy! haha_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: This is like the fastest I've updated in a LONG WHILE haha. I hope you are all enjoying this! I wish I could make the chapters longer but... then it would take away from the story a bit. ANYWAYS. ENJOY AND ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! I suck at replying... I am sorry._

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**Who Knew?**

Chapter Three

He hadn't slept since she'd gone missing. Granted it had only been one night… but… he lived for sleep! The lack of it was obviously taking a toll on him. He spent every minute waiting for her to just show up at his door. Why _his _door? Because he was positive she would come to him. After all, he _was_ the only one in the family that hadn't _shunned_ her. Not that… she knew that.

_Knock Knock Knock._

His heart jumped to his throat and he ran to his apartment door as fast as possible.

"Case?" He guessed, opening the door.

"Derek Venturi?"

Derek's smile faded as he took in the sight of a man, mid-thirties, wearing black, pressed pants and a suit coat. Derek nodded.

"Bruno Atkins, FBI." The man held his badge up for Derek to see, "May I come in?"

"Is this about Casey? She's alive, right? I _know_ she's alive."

"Please sir, I'd rather talk in private." Bruno spoke as one of the other tenants on Derek's floor walked by them, throwing a prying glance.

"Oh, right... sorry." Derek said, letting the man inside and closing the door behind him.

"I read an article today that concerned me, Mr. Venturi." Derek sat down on his couch as Bruno browsed through various items in his apartment. "Do you know why it was interesting?"

"Um… no?"

"Well you see, I have this case… and the victim is unable to be identified."

Derek's heart was beating a mile a minute. 'Victim'… 'unidentified'… Casey couldn't be dead… He just _knew_ she was alive.

"And then one of my men showed me this article about one 'Casey McDonald' and we did a background check. Seems as though she's your step-sister?" Bruno turned to face Derek who promptly looked down at his hands.

"That's true."

"You seemed to leave that out in the article." Bruno added.

"Yeah, well… Casey and I have a complicated relationship and 'siblings' does not describe it in any way. Most people don't know how to differentiate between siblings and _step_-siblings. We agreed to keep the… _title_… out of the media."

Bruno's eyebrows rose, "Were you romantically involved?"

Derek's face faltered and he closed his eyes."No."

Bruno noted the look (of… disappointment?) on his face.

"When was the last time you spoke to Casey McDonald."

"Listen, with all due respect, sir… I'm not telling you _shit_ until you tell me that Casey McDonald is alive or… not."

* * *

As Bruno led him through the halls of the hospital, Derek's hope was at its highest. Hospital; that means she's okay, right? At the very least, she's not… dead. The thought made his heart descend into his stomach.

They reached the intensive care unit and Derek's patience was wearing thin. Bruno swiped a card in front of the sensor and the doors opened to reveal a nurses station conveniently located in the middle of ten patient rooms.

"Before you get your hopes up, "Bruno spoke seriously, "this woman may not be Casey McDonald." He paused and Derek nodded, "Also… she is in a coma and her injuries are quite severe. The doctors have assured me that for now, she is very stable, just not conscious."

Derek took a deep breath as he readied himself to enter the room.

"Derek." Bruno looked into Derek's eyes, "Do you promise me that even if it's not your stepsister in that room, you will submit your phone as evidence so we can analyze your voicemail?"

"Whatever you need." Derek answered before turning the doorknob to enter the room.

He walked in slowly and approached the figure that lay on the bed in front of him. Immediately, he felt his eyes stinging and his chest was heavy.

Bruno followed him into the room, but Derek would never have noticed. All he could concentrate on was the various cuts and bruises and bandages that were covering more serious wounds.

Bruno stayed back at the door and observed how Derek ran his fingers along the patient's; he could see the pain in the young man's face. There was no doubt that this woman was exactly who they had all assumed she was.

"What _happened_ to you, Case?" Derek whispered, knowing he would be left without response. "I… I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't stop you from leaving… I'm sorry I didn't speak up… I should have told them… I just… I was scared." He spoke softly to the girl beneath him. He chuckled, "You know me… always know what's right but too cool to say anything."

At that moment, a woman opened the door and it slammed into Bruno's back, "OOF!"

"Oh! I'm sor- oh, B… it's just you. Never mind; not sorry anymore." She winked.

Bruno chuckled before letting her pass into the room. Derek was startled by the sudden interruption.

"Derek, this is Dr. Windsor. She's the one who's been taking care of Casey; Allison, this is Derek Venturi."

Allison Windsor smiled as she pulled her gloves on, "Nice to meet you, hon."

Derek noted her smile was contagious and she was very personable. She pulled her stethoscope up to her ears and pressed the diaphragm against Casey's chest, slightly under her gown.

"Nice to meet you, too…" He paused, looking back at his step-sister, "Bruno tells me she's stable?"

Allison took the stethoscope out of her ears and let it hang from her neck. She smiled, "Yes, very. As of right now she is unconscious and being fed through this tube," She pointed to the equipment in question, "Everything seems to be going well, we're just not sure exactly when she will wake up."

Derek grimaced, "You don't have any idea?"

The doctor sighed, "Well, her brain activity fluctuates daily and…" She glanced at the monitor, "Oh my God."

Bruno perked up, "What is it, Allison?"

She advanced to the monitor and pressed a few buttons which made the printer next to it whir and dispense a long paper with markings on it.

"Al?" Bruno pressed on.

"What's going on?" Derek was confused and nervous that something had gone wrong.

"How long ago did you two get into the room?" Allison ignored their inquisitions.

Bruno looked at his watch, "Probably ten minutes ago, why?"

"Because according to this," she looked back and forth between the two men in the room, "she should have woken up nine minutes ago."

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_AN: I know you guys keep telling me you hate cliffhangers but they are just so FUN! haha ;)_


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